Appositives

An appositive is a noun or pronoun — often with modifiers — set beside another noun or pronoun to
explain or identify it. Here are some examples of appositives (the noun or pronoun will be in blue, the
appositive will be in red).

Your friend Bill is in trouble.

My brother's car, a sporty red convertible with bucket seats, is the envy of my friends.

The chief surgeon, an expert in organ-transplant procedures, took her nephew on a hospital tour.

An appositive phrase usually follows the word it explains or identifies, but it may also precede it.

A bold innovator, Wassily Kadinsky is known for his colorful abstract paintings.

The first state to ratify the U. S. Constitution, Delaware is rich in history.

A beautiful collie, Skip was my favorite dog.

Punctuation of appositives

In some cases, the noun being explained is too general without the appositive; the information is
essential to the meaning of the sentence. When this is the case, do not place commas around the
appositive; just leave it alone. If the sentence would be clear and complete without the appositive, then
commas are necessary; place one before and one after the appositive.

Here are some examples.

The popular US president John Kennedy was known for his eloquent and inspirational speeches.

Here we do not put commas around the appositive, because it is essential information. Without the
appositive, the sentence would be, "The popular US president was known for his eloquent and
inspirational speeches." We wouldn't know which president was being referred to.

John Kennedy, the popular US president, was known for his eloquent and inspirational speeches.

Here we put commas around the appositive because it is not essential information. Without the
appositive, the sentence would be, "John Kennedy was known for his eloquent and inspirational
speeches." We still know who the subject of the sentence is without the appositive.

John Kennedy the popular US president was quite different from John Kennedy the unfaithful husband.

Here we do not put commas around either appositive because they are both essential to understanding
the sentence. Without the appositives, the sentence would just be John Kennedy was quite different from
John Kennedy. We wouldn't know what qualities of John Kennedy were being referred to without the
appositive.
The Appositive
Recognize an appositive when you see one.

An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that renames another noun right beside it. The appositive can be
a short or long combination of words. Look at these examples:

The insect, a cockroach, is crawling across the kitchen table.

The insect, a large cockroach, is crawling across the kitchen table.

The insect, a large cockroach with hairy legs, is crawling across the kitchen table.

The insect, a large, hairy-legged cockroach that has spied my bowl of oatmeal, is crawling across the
kitchen table.

Here are more examples:

During the dinner conversation, Clifford, the messiest eater at the table, spewed mashed potatoes like an
erupting volcano.

My 286 computer, a modern-day dinosaur, chews floppy disks as noisily as my brother does peanut
brittle.

Genette's bedroom desk, the biggest disaster area in the house, is a collection of overdue library books,
dirty plates, computer components, old mail, cat hair, and empty potato chip bags.

Reliable, Diane's eleven-year-old beagle, chews holes in the living room carpeting as if he were still a
puppy.

Punctuate the appositive correctly.

The important point to remember is that a nonessential appositive is always separated from the rest of
the sentence with comma(s).

When the appositive begins the sentence, it looks like this:

A hot-tempered tennis player, Robbie charged the umpire and tried to crack the poor man's skull with a
racket.

When the appositive interrupts the sentence, it looks like this:

Robbie, a hot-tempered tennis player, charged the umpire and tried to crack the poor man's skull with a
racket.

And when the appositive ends the sentence, it looks like this:

Upset by the bad call, the crowd cheered Robbie, a hot-tempered tennis player who charged the umpire
and tried to crack the poor man's skull with a racket.
Direct Object

A direct object will follow a transitive verb [a type of action verb]. Direct objects can be nouns,
pronouns, phrases, or clauses. If you can identify the subject and verb in a sentence, then finding the
direct object—if one exists—is easy. Just remember this simple formula:

subject + verb + what? or who? = direct object

Here are examples of the formula in action:

Zippy and Maurice played soccer with a grapefruit pulled from a backyard tree.

Zippy, Maurice = subjects; played = verb. Zippy and Maurice played what? Soccer = direct object.

A direct object is the receiver of action within a sentence, as in "He hit the ball." Be careful to
distinguish between a direct object and an object complement:

Indirect Object

An indirect object precedes the direct object and tells to whom or for whom the action of the verb is
done and who is receiving the direct object. There must be a direct object to have an indirect object.
Indirect objects are usually found with verbs of giving or communicating like give, bring, tell, show,
take, or offer. An indirect object is always a noun or pronoun which is not part of a prepositional phrase.

Example: She gave me the report.

(Who received the report? Me.)

The indirect object identifies to or for whom or what the action of the verb is performed.
The direct object and indirect object are different people or places or things.

Jo-Bob sold me her boat.

Object Complement

An objective complement renames or describes the direct object. It always immediately follows the
direct object and may be compound. An objective complement is a noun, pronoun, or adjective.

EXAMPLE

We called our doctor Bones.

Simple subject = We
Transitive active verb = called
Direct object = doctor
Objective complement = Bones
 We painted the town red.

Simple subject = We
Transitive active verb = painted
Direct object = town
Objective complement = red

Predicate Nominative

A predicate nominative is a noun or pronoun that follows a linking verb to further specify, describe or
rename the sentence's subject noun. For example, in my car is a Honda,, the word car is the subject
noun being renamed, is is the linking verb, and Honda is the predicate nominative. This worksheet
presents a set of sentences that use predicate nominatives and asks the student to identify them.